A 60-year-old gardener of Tabaquite who attacked his former wife with a cutlass in a fit of rage, severing her finger, yesterday was sentenced to five years in prison. However, Basil de Leon would only spend 31 months in jail. In passing sentence yesterday, Justice Malcolm Holdip ordered the 29 months De Leon had spent in prison awaiting trial be deducted from his sentence.
He was found guilty by a jury in the San Fernando High Court on Friday. He was charged with wounding his former wife Meena Rampersad with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. On the charge of attempting to murder her he was found not guilty. In a brief interview outside the court, Rampersad said she was not satisfied with the sentence, but added: "I just want to put this matter behind me and move on with my life."
The incident took place on?November 19, 2007 at Rampersad's apartment on Pierre Phillip Trace, New Grant. The State's case, led by attorney Angelica Teelucksingh, was that De Leon went to Rampersad's apartment armed with a cutlass, cursing and threatening her. They had recently ended a ten-year common-law relationship.
Rampersad testified that De Leon accused her of taking appliances from his home and moving in with another man. She was chopped on her left wrist and fingers. Part of her middle finger was chopped off. "He told me, 'Meena, come and kneel down here, let me kill you,'" Rampersad testified. She spent two days at the San Fernando General Hospital.
De Leon claimed he acted in self-defence. He said he was searching for Rampersad because she took all the appliances, valued $68,000, from his house, and went to her apartment after a maxi-taxi driver told him where she was staying. De Leon said there was a verbal exchange and Rampersad attacked him with a knife. He said he was swinging the cutlass and she got cut with the edge.
De Leon's attorney Rekha Ramjit said his only other encounter with the law was 30 years ago when he was convicted of manslaughter and served a prison term. She said De Leon, the father of two, was remorseful and asked for a non-custodial sentence. Teelucksingh, who cited several authorities, said the offence was serious and carried a maximum sentence of 15 years.